Las Vegas in the fall? Does that mean you can watch your green money shiver and fall like autumn leaves? Well, yes, but Sin City is not just for gambling and sinning. If you take time on the famous Strip to look at the mobs going by, you'll see that at least half of them are in the autumn of their years, 50s plus on up to 80s.

Compared to cost of hotel rooms in other tourist traps, including New York, London and Paris, Las Vegas resorts are just as luxurious at rates that are usually less than one-fourth the cost of other big city hotels. The high-class restaurants and famed, all-you-can-eat buffets are also much lower priced. Additionally, because tourism is way down in the poor economy, this autumn’s prices in Sin City are particularly inviting, with all kinds of discount offerings.

Of course, you're expected to lose lots of gambling money to make up for the bargains, but if you do it smart, you’ll have a great vacation at bargain prices. The scenery in Vegas is spectacular. Many of the newest megahotels, such as the Wynn, Mandalay Bay, Paris, Mirage, Bellagio, Palazzo, New York New York and the Venetian have extensive gardens around their outside property and enormous pools. If you're in Vegas during autumn months, and need some relief from the casinos, stroll around among the beautiful trees, shrubbery and streams.

Also, if you can tear yourself away from Sin City for a day or two, some of the world's most breathtaking autumn sights will greet you just a short drive away at nearby Mount Charleston, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and, of course, the Grand Canyon. A helicopter flight from midnight Las Vegas to dawn at the Grand Canyon in its autumn colors is a thrill of a lifetime.